From
Adbusters.org:
3 ways to clear your mind You wake up, put on the coffee, and get ready for work. Then, just as you’re reaching for the cell phone, you remember that today is the beginning of Mental Detox Week.
Today you’re not going to listen to your iPod. You aren’t going to stare at a computer screen any more than you absolutely have to. Today you won’t worry about unanswered email, and you’re not going to login to Facebook. You’ll cut the time you spend on digital devices right down to the bone.
In the evening maybe you will watch your favorite TV show for an hour, but after that you switch off, have a conversation, wash the dishes, read for a bit, and just relax. You do that for five days, and then on Friday night you make a decision to unplug completely for the whole weekend.
For a couple of days you might feel like an addict in withdrawal: peevish, agitated, and distracted. But then something will happen. Your over-stimulated brain will cleanse itself. You’ll relax. You’ll feel calmer, more grounded.
Go cold-turkey for one week My daughter isn't impressed. I've thrown an old towel over the tube, a kind of TV veil. "Thats incredibly lame, dad." My wife wants me to promise that the veil will come off for the latest episode of Lost. I had no idea turning off the TV for a week would be such a big deal. It feels like I'm trying to pry speedballs out of the clenched fist of heroin junkies.
Lose your Blackberry For one day, I ditch my cell and my iPod and go out into the world feeling practically naked. No headphones. No soundtrack pumping into my brain. No way for friends and family to get a hold of me. On the way home from work, I pull over at a neighborhood park and watch some kids playing soccer. One of the coaches is shouting at them. The kids celebrate after they score a goal. I'm unplugged and I like the feeling.
Go On A TV Zapping Prowl Last year a friend of mine was having a beer at a local watering hole. There was a rugby game on the tube, and guys at the bar had the volume cranked way up. My friend didn"t see why he should have to listen to that, so he used the TV-B-Gone in his pocket to kill the TV – over and over again. The guys at the bar went nuts trying to figure out what was wrong with the television. Unfortunately, my friend started laughing, which gave the goons the idea that he had something to do with it. He barely got out of there alive. 'I couldn"t believe that these guys wanted to fight over a fucking TV,' he told me, laughing. 'But it was a good day. I"d do it again. Now I always keep the thing with me and use it in banks, airports, the dentist"s office – wherever.'
Read more at:
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/psycho/mdw/. I'll be logging off just as soon as I finish adding this blog. :) Cheers, Tim